Personal photos of Australian motor racing '50s to '70s

I’ve just re-discovered some photos that I took in the early fifties of Australian racing cars at various circuits and hill climbs.

As they aren’t doing much good sitting in a dusty photo album I though it might be a good idea to start another Thread where personal and previously unpublished photos of early Australian racing cars, engines, drivers and circuits could be displayed for TNF’s to view.

All of us probably have some personal and unpublished photos that we could share and which in all likelihood may well disappear forever once we “fall off the perch”.

By putting them up in the Forum they may just help someone who is restoring a particular car or looking for historical detail or even just stir some memories?

I would tentatively suggest that we might start with photos from the ’50 – ‘70s?

Here’s a few that I took at the 1955 Australian Grand Prix at Port Wakefield -

I can't let this fall of page one without a reply, great photos kaydee!
I love the engine shot of the Maybach, look at the slant engine with fuel injection and look at those beautiful front brakes! It was very modern for the time.
I don't know why they called it a Maybach and didn't call it a Repco.

Originally posted by Terry Walker Bathurst, 1969 ( think). One of a box of Bathurst slides from that meeting given to me by former RCN correspondent Peter Longley.

I was looking at some of the people in the bckground and maybe I'm imagining it, but is that Fred Gigson and one of the scrutineers over Leo's left shoulder, and it could almost be me and Col Wear chatting to a balding guy with sunnies at top left above C pillar of the Falcon. Probably imaginitis...

Nice to see the Alta Holden in an early guise. It's been restored to original with an Alta engine and is racing in UK historics. It was the only one with the unique mag wheels. Here it is in WA some years after Port Wakefield, driven by David Drew, the last to race it as a "front line" racer.

Wonderful how joe public could get so close to the cars and crew in those days.

That's the second time in a few days I have been looking at photos of that Cooper Bristol. I've just been given a handful of dusty amateur slides from the 50s, and this one (badly faded) not only shows the Lukey C-B but also the Cusso sedan at the 1957 AGP meeting at Caversham.

The ex-works ferrari 500 that Ascari drove to a world championship, which then raced by Lex Davison and finally by Doug Green in Western Australia. Still astoundingly original, although the original 2-litre 4 had been replaced by a 2.5 litre, and finally a 3-litre Ferrari 4, Making it a Ferrari 500/600/750. Now restored, and in Donington, but when this pic was taken at Caversham it was still a main stream single seater.

It didn't come with a workshop manual, so ace mechanic Don Reimann had to have an offsider solely to take notes whenever he had to dismantle anything.

The term 'Olympic Grand Prix' refers to the Australian Grand Prix of 1956... which was staged in Melbourne even though it was Western Australia's turn to host the race... because it was run during the time of the Olympic Games in Melbourne...

I think Ray's probably right
The pictures and captioning for that book were a nightmare (for reasons beyond my control). That one came with others that were from the Olympic meeting, and I can only think that in the rush I didn't check
Sorry, Rob

Originally posted by Ray Bell The term 'Olympic Grand Prix' refers to the Australian Grand Prix of 1956... which was staged in Melbourne even though it was Western Australia's turn to host the race... because it was run during the time of the Olympic Games in Melbourne...

I must get all the old photos from that meeting out and lodge them.Has anyone ever seen the magazine/book that was printed showing all the race results and standings/lap times lap by lap.Few years ago I gave my copy to the Hunts along with a Lago badge.

Back in the 1950s the late Dave Van Dal, as well as being a Morgan expert, a racing driver, and an advocate of the tubular space frame, was also a keen amateur photographer. In 1958 he trekked across the Nullarbor from his home town of Perth, attended the 1958 AGP at Bathurst, and took a number of slides.

This is an example, a Cooper F2, back when they were workaday racers. I'm puzzled by the odd paint effect on the front.

Mildren had spun, so the front of the car was damaged. The AGP book refers to Mildren's car being left 'well bent'... and to it being repaired and starting from the rear of the grid. Mildren's number in the race was indeed 10.

Obviously this car had a body from the days when Cooper made their bodywork in aluminium rather than fibreglass.